Ribbed belts having a woven cover fabric defining the outside surface of the ribs have been proposed heretofore and examples of such belts are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,620,016; 2,728,239; 2,746,308; and 3,839,116. However, the belts of the type shown in these patents generally utilize so-called one-way stretch woven fabrics and when these belts are operated in associated sheaves considerable stresses are imposed on the fabric causing buckling of the fabric and premature wear and failure thereof and premature failure of their associated belts. Further, previous belts usually employ woven fabrics which generally must be positioned so that the warps of the fabric are at a particular angle relative to the belt axis resulting in added processing costs.